M&T Bank Corp Raises Stake in Western Alliance Bancorporation $WAL

Key Points

• M&T Bank Corp massively increased its stake in Western Alliance, boosting holdings by 7,920.9% in Q4 to 315,624 shares (≈0.29% of the company) worth about $26.5 million after adding 311,689 shares.
• Western Alliance reported a strong Q1 beat with EPS $2.22 vs. $1.48 expected and revenue $968.4M (up 31% YoY), delivering solid margins and a 13.7% ROE that helped drive bullish market reaction.
• Street sentiment is broadly positive—MarketBeat shows a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a $93.36 target (nine Buys, five Holds)—and institutional investors own about 79.15% of the stock.

M&T Bank Corp grew its stake in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL - Free Report) by 7,920.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 315,624 shares of the financial services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 311,689 shares during the quarter. M&T Bank Corp owned approximately 0.29% of Western Alliance Bancorporation worth $26,535,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its holdings in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 36.5% in the third quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 5,979,916 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $518,578,000 after acquiring an additional 1,599,537 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 35.8% in the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,179,518 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $102,288,000 after acquiring an additional 310,826 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 750.8% in the third quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 287,403 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $25,019,000 after acquiring an additional 253,622 shares in the last quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 19.2% in the second quarter. Smead Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,435,247 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $111,921,000 after acquiring an additional 231,159 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation by 11.3% in the third quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. now owns 2,194,630 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $190,318,000 after acquiring an additional 223,425 shares in the last quarter. 79.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Western Alliance Bancorporation from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $83.00 to $79.00 in a report on Monday, March 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Western Alliance Bancorporation from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. DA Davidson restated a "buy" rating and issued a $93.00 price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective on shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, iA Financial set a $101.00 price objective on Western Alliance Bancorporation in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $93.36.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Stock Performance

Shares of Western Alliance Bancorporation stock opened at $78.20 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $8.59 billion, a PE ratio of 9.10, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $77.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.60. Western Alliance Bancorporation has a one year low of $65.82 and a one year high of $97.23.

Western Alliance Bancorporation (NYSE:WAL - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 21st. The financial services provider reported $2.22 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.48 by $0.74. The business had revenue of $968.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $944.18 million. Western Alliance Bancorporation had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 13.69%. The firm's revenue was up 31.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.79 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Western Alliance Bancorporation will post 9.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 20th were issued a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 20th. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. Western Alliance Bancorporation's payout ratio is currently 19.24%.

Western Alliance Bancorporation News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Western Alliance Bancorporation this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations: EPS $2.22 vs. Street $1.48 and revenue $968.4M (up 31% YoY), with solid margins and ROE — a primary catalyst for the rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” and set a $93 price target (~19% upside vs. current price), which supports further upside from analyst momentum. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Street commentary and coverage (Zacks, MSN, MarketBeat) emphasize the beat on both revenue and EPS, reinforcing short-term bullish sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management commentary and details live in the Q1 earnings transcript — investors should read the call for guidance, credit trends and margin outlook. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and outlets are dissecting key metrics vs. estimates (loan growth, deposits, NII, provisions); these deeper reads will drive next moves once guidance/forward commentary is digested. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Riverwater Sustainable Value Strategy exited its WAL holding in Q1 — a reminder some funds are trimming exposure, which could pressure flows if others follow. Read More.

Western Alliance Bancorporation Company Profile

Western Alliance Bancorporation is a bank holding company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Through its principal subsidiary, Western Alliance Bank, the company provides a range of banking services to commercial clients, entrepreneurs and real estate developers. As one of the largest regional banks in the western United States, it focuses on relationship-driven banking solutions tailored to niche industries and growing businesses.

The company's core offerings include deposit products, treasury management and a variety of lending services.

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